When visiting the volcanoes, you must respect Pele, the goddess
of the volcanoes. Her historical name, “Ka Wahine’ai
hona,” means the woman who devours the land. Pele was both
respected and feared. Hawaiian legends assert that Pele, who often
appears as an old woman caused earthquakes by stomping her feet and
eruptions by digging into the ground. While Kilauea Volcano was erupting
in 1960, many say they saw an old lady with a dog walking on the
eastern coast of the Big Island. She was said to have traveled door
to door begging for food. Many people ignored her except the Kapoho
lighthouse keeper. He invited her in and gave her food and the lighthouse
was spared from the fiery lava. Everything else around was destroyed.
Many still honor her to this day by providing her with offerings
such as ohelo berries or gin just, to make sure she spares them from
harm.